On the last day of 1229, a twenty-one-year-old king rode into Madina Mayurqa and made it the keystone of the Crown of Aragon at sea. That conquest produced a cathedral leaning over the water, a kingdom of its own that lasted seventy years and a city of merchants, mapmakers and sea lawyers. Twelve stops between the statue of the conquering king, the friary where Ramon Llull lies, the Jewish quarter of the maps, the Arab baths that survived, the lake below the walls, the cathedral of light, the palace of the kings of Majorca, the promenade that was once a torrent, the sailors' quarter, the exchange with columns like palm trees, the house of the Consulate of the Sea and the round castle above the bay. Approximate audio duration: 20 minutes.
▸ Ver en español
Palma: la isla que Jaime I conquistó para dominar el Mediterráneo
El último día de 1229, un rey de veintiún años entró en Madina Mayurqa y la convirtió en la pieza clave de la Corona de Aragón en el mar. De esa conquista nacieron una catedral asomada al agua, un reino propio que duró setenta años y una ciudad de mercaderes, cartógrafos y juristas del mar. Doce paradas entre la estatua del rey conquistador, el convento donde descansa Ramon Llull, el barrio judío de los mapas, los baños árabes que sobrevivieron, el lago frente a las murallas, la catedral de la luz, el palacio de los reyes de Mallorca, el paseo que fue un torrente, el barrio de los marineros, la lonja de las columnas como palmeras, la casa del Consulado del Mar y el castillo redondo sobre la bahía. Duración aproximada de audio: 20 minutos.
Tour stops
12 stops · ~20 min of audio · 5.43 km on foot (~1 h 20 min walking) · about 1 h 45 min in total
You are standing before the equestrian statue of James I in Plaça d'Espanya. Look at the king's gesture on horseback. This is how Majorca remembers him: as the man who took the island from Islam and joined it to the Crown of Aragon.
In September 1229 a fleet of about a hundred and fifty ships set sail from the Catalan coast. It landed at Santa Ponça, west of this bay. The king was only twenty-one.
The city was then called Madina Mayurqa. It was one of the richest in the western Islamic world, ruled by the wali Abu Yahya. It held out against a siege of almost four months.
On 31 December 1229…
2
The Friary of Ramon Llull
You are in front of the Basilica of Sant Francesc. Look at the great facade with its rose window. It is Baroque, added around 1700, but behind it stands a Gothic church begun in 1281.
The Franciscans founded it with the support of the prince who soon after became James II, King of Majorca. This was Palma's first generation after the conquest: the city had to be filled with churches, friaries and Christian settlers.
Inside, in a chapel behind the high altar, lies the tomb of Ramon Llull. He was born in this city around 1232, a few years after the conquest, into a family that had come over wit…
3
The Quarter of the Maps
You are in the heart of the old Call, Palma's Jewish quarter. Look at the church of Montesión, with its Baroque facade. It rose in an area that for centuries was Jewish.
After the conquest, the kings of Majorca protected the Jewish community. It suited them: these were merchants, doctors, translators and craftsmen with contacts all over the Mediterranean, including North Africa.
One of the great works of medieval cartography came out of this quarter. Cresques Abraham, a Majorcan Jew, drew the Catalan Atlas with his son Jafuda, finished around 1375.
That atlas showed the Mediterranean with a…
4
What Remains of Madina Mayurqa
You are at the Arab Baths, hidden in a garden. Go in and look at the main room: a dome resting on columns, with small round openings that let the light through.
It is one of the few buildings that survive from the Islamic city. It is usually dated between the tenth and twelfth centuries, when Madina Mayurqa was a prosperous port of al-Andalus.
Look at the columns. They do not match. The capitals differ from one another, because pieces were reused from older buildings.
Before 1229 the city had mosques, markets, gardens and a great wall. After the conquest almost everything was transformed or…
5
A Cathedral Facing the Water
You are in the Parc de la Mar. Look up: above the walls rises the cathedral, and the lake reflects its whole silhouette.
This lake did not exist in the Middle Ages. The sea was here. The waves reached the foot of the walls, and ships entering the bay saw the cathedral as their first image of the city.
That was no accident. A gigantic cathedral above the water was a message to any vessel arriving: this island is Christian and belongs to the Crown of Aragon.
In the twentieth century land was reclaimed from the sea for the motorway and the seafront promenade. The cathedral was cut off from the…
6
The King's Vow in the Storm
You are in front of Majorca Cathedral, La Seu. Look at its south side, with the buttresses lined up like ribs facing the sea.
Tradition says that during the 1229 crossing a storm battered the fleet, and James I promised the Virgin a church if he arrived safely. The story has been told for centuries. What is certain is what happened next.
After the conquest, the city's great mosque was consecrated as a church. But the Gothic cathedral you see was not begun that same day, as is sometimes claimed. Major work started around 1300 under James II, with the royal chapel at the far end.
From there c…
7
The Palace of a Kingdom That Lasted Seventy Years
You are in front of the Almudaina Palace. Look at its towers and arches, and at the very top, on a tower, the figure of an angel crowning the building.
This was the alcazar of the island's Muslim rulers. After the conquest it passed to the king. The Gothic palace you see is largely the work of James II, in the early fourteenth century.
Why a king of its own? When James I died in 1276 he divided his lands between his sons. Peter received Aragon, Catalonia and Valencia. James received Majorca, Ibiza, Roussillon, Cerdanya and Montpellier.
So the Kingdom of Majorca was born, with its capitals h…
8
The Promenade That Was a Torrent
You are on the Passeig des Born, Palma's great tree-lined promenade. Look at the palaces of wealthy families overlooking it on both sides.
The name comes from tournaments. In the Middle Ages the born was the ground where knights jousted. The island's nobility showed off here in front of the city.
But underneath ran another story. A torrent, the Riera, flowed through this spot, crossing the city and emptying into the sea. It split the medieval city in two.
In October 1403 the Riera burst its banks and caused a catastrophic flood that killed a great many people. It took centuries before the d…
9
The Quarter of Sailors and Merchants
You are in the Plaça de la Drassana, in the La Llotja quarter. Look around: narrow streets, old houses, bars. Seven centuries ago this was the harbour district.
Drassana means shipyard. The square's name recalls the naval activity that once went on in this part of the city, right by the water.
Sailors, caulkers, shipwrights and traders lived around here. From the port of Palma ships sailed to Barcelona and Valencia, but also to Tunis, Bougie, Alexandria, Genoa and, later, to Flanders.
Majorca exported salt, oil and woollen cloth. It brought back spices, wheat, hides and African gold carried…
10
Columns Like Palm Trees
You are in front of Sa Llotja, Palma's Exchange. Look at the building: a great Gothic rectangle with octagonal towers at the corners and an angel above the door.
It was the seat of the Merchants' College, where deals were struck, prices set and trading disputes settled. A kind of medieval stock exchange.
It was designed by Guillem Sagrera, one of the great architects of Mediterranean Gothic. Work began in 1426 and went on for about twenty years.
If it is open, go in. Inside is a single great hall held up by six spiral columns that twist upwards and open out into ribs, like the trunks of pal…
11
The Laws of the Sea
You are in front of the Consolat de Mar. Look at the arcaded gallery on the facade, open towards what used to be the harbour.
This building dates from the seventeenth century, but the institution is far older. The Consulate of the Sea of Majorca was created in 1326, in the time of James III, grandson of James II.
It was a specialised court. It judged disputes between sailors, ship masters and merchants: freight, shipwrecks, lost cargo, unpaid wages. It was made up of consuls chosen from among seafarers and traders.
Similar institutions existed in Valencia, Barcelona and other ports of the C…
12
The Round Castle Above the Bay
You are at Bellver Castle, on a hill covered in pines. Look at its shape: it is circular, with a round courtyard in the middle and towers projecting from the walls. Beyond it, standing apart, is a larger keep joined to the castle by a bridge.
James II, King of Majorca, had it built from 1300 onwards. The architect was Pere Salvà. It was finished in little more than ten years, very fast for the time.
It is one of the few Gothic castles in Europe with a circular plan. It served as royal residence, fortress and lookout. From the top you command the whole bay and the entrance to the harbour.
Le…
How long does the "Palma: the Island James I Conquered to Rule the Mediterranean" audio tour take?
It has about 20 minutes of audio across 12 stops and a 5.43 km walking route (~1 h 20 min on foot). Plan roughly 1 h 45 min in total, or split it up: you can pause and resume anytime.
Where does the tour start?
At stop 1, "The King Who Came by Sea" (coordinates 39.5761, 2.6545). The app guides you from stop to stop with a map.
Is it free?
Trevurs is a free app for iOS and Android. There is also an optional Premium version, from USD 1.99, with unlimited offline downloads, access to every tour and no ads. It also helps keep an independent app alive.
Why use an audio tour instead of a guided group tour?
No group to keep up with and no guide to wait for. Start at any time of day, on your own schedule. Go at your own pace: pause, rewind or skip any stop. No need to commit 2 or 3 hours to a single tour: do one stop or the whole route. Works offline once downloaded.
What languages is this audio guide available in?
This tour is available in Spanish, English, Portuguese, French, Italian. Switch languages anytime from inside the app.
Do I need wifi to listen to this tour?
No. Download the tour over wifi before you go, then listen without any data connection.
How do I access this tour?
Download Trevurs on iPhone (App Store) or Android (Google Play), then open Palma de Mallorca and pick "Palma: the Island James I Conquered to Rule the Mediterranean". No account required to start.
Free app
No wifi needed · Spanish, English, Portuguese, French, Italian
